Dayle Haddon, actor, activist and former pioneer Sports Illustrated model who opposed age discrimination by re-entering the industry as a widow, died in a Pennsylvania home from what authorities believe was carbon monoxide poisoning.
Bucks County authorities found Haddon, 76, dead in a second-floor bedroom Friday morning after emergency dispatchers were notified of an unresponsive person at the Solebury Township home. A 76-year-old man later identified by police as Walter J. Blucas of Erie was hospitalized in critical condition.
Responders detected a high level of carbon monoxide at the property and city police said Saturday that investigators determined that “a faulty flue and exhaust pipe on a gas heating system caused the carbon monoxide leak. Two doctors were taken to hospital for carbon monoxide exposure and a police officer was treated at the scene.
As a model, Haddon has appeared on the covers of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, She And Squire in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as in the 1973s Sports Illustrated swimsuit problem. She also appeared in about two dozen films from the 1970s to the 1990s, according to IMDb.com, including the 1994 film. Balls on Broadwaywith John Cusack.
Haddon left modeling after giving birth to her daughter Ryan in the mid-1970s, but then had to re-enter the work force after her husband died in 1991. This time, she found the modeling industry much less friendly: “They told me, ‘At 38, you’re not viable,'” Haddon said. The New York Times in 2003.
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Working in a menial job at an advertising agency, Haddon began contacting cosmetics companies, telling them there was a growing market for selling beauty products to aging baby boomers. She eventually landed a contract with Clairol, then Estée Lauder and then L’Oréal, for which she promoted the company’s anti-aging products for more than a decade. She also hosted beauty segments for CBS. The first show.
“I continued to model, but in a different way,” she said. The times“I became the spokesperson for my age.”
In 2008, Haddon founded WomenOne, an organization aimed at promoting educational opportunities for girls and women from marginalized communities, including Rwanda, Haiti and Jordan.
Haddon was born in Canada and began modeling as a teenager to pay for her ballet lessons. She began her career with the Canadian ballet company Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, according to its website.
Haddon’s daughter Ryan said in a social media post that her mother was “the biggest champion of them all.” An inspiration for many.
“A pure heart. A rich inner life. Touching so many lives. A life well lived. Rest in the light, mom,” she said.
© 2024 The Canadian Press